Putin demands UK drop nuclear shield for Ukraine peace talks

Russia has stated that the UK must stop using its nuclear weapons to protect European allies as a condition for peace in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph. The demand is part of a list of Russian conditions for negotiations to end the war. The conditions include removing the Trident nuclear "umbrella" from NATO countries, with the UK being the only European nation committed to using its nuclear submarines for collective NATO defense. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejected the demand, stating European security is not negotiable with Russia. Moscow's document also calls for NATO to withdraw troops from Eastern Europe and the Baltics, exclude Finland from the alliance, and halt all Western weapons supplies to Ukraine. Russia seeks to retain occupied Ukrainian territories while potentially approving Ukraine's EU membership without common defense policy participation.